let's call that plan B : ) an autorotor might actually work but it'll probably end up too complicated.

if they designed it for a water landing it could probably do with just a small light aerobrake for the whole trip. with a reasonably strong nosecone it could probably handle the ocean at 200km/h.it went into the ground like a champ and the ground is pretty hard a mach 1

SANTA CLARA, CALIF. — Armadillo Aerospace plans to conduct the first flight of its new reusable suborbital rocket in late August under a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) license awarded July 26...

At Newspace 2012 hosted by the Space Frontier Foundation in Santa Clara CA, Dr. George Nield, Associate Administrator for the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation, presented Neil Milburn, Armadillo Aerospace's VP of Program Management,with an Operator Launch License for their STIG (Suborbital Transport with Inertial Guidance) class of reusable suborbital launch vehicles. This is Armadillo Aerospace's first launch license although they have already received three launch permits for their lunar lander class vehicles.

"The Operator Launch License enables Armadillo Aerospace to launch payloads for revenue service" said Milburn. "The inaugural flight of STIG B scheduled for this summer is carrying two revenue payloads, one for Vega Space and the other for the University of Purdue, and, if successful, this will qualify the STIG vehicles for NASA's Flight Opportunities Program." The inaugural flight is slated to take the payloads to greater than 100-km (62-miles) which is classified as the boundary for space. In doing so it will enable the payload providers to experience nearly three minutes of micro-G environment.

The launch will take place from Spaceport America in New Mexico and will be the first licensed launch from the Spaceport although Armadillo Aerospace has launched four earlier flights under the FAA's Class III waiver regime. The last of these flights with STIG A reached 95-km setting the stage for the space capable STIG B vehicles.

Milburn complimented Dr. Nield on AST's performance in processing the license application. "Allowed 180-days by law, the review team at AST granted the license in just 63-days, setting a new record" said Milburn. "This successfully exemplifies AST's dual role of ensuring public safety but at the same time promoting the commercial launch industry."

Armadillo Aerospace LLC is a privately owned company founded by computer gaming industry icon John Carmack and his wife Anna. They are dedicated to providing low cost access to space for both scientific payloads and space tourists. www.armadilloaerospace.com

This quick licensing process could never been accomplished without the proper information from AA. I don't believe that many understand that AA has been the trailblazer for things like insurance to the FAA that will benefit the rest of the industry.

Indeed! Congratulations to all the hard-working folks at the FAA and Armadillo, and especially to Neil Milburn. A lot of people see the rockets go up and congratulate the owners, designers and pilots. The development of a regulatory framework for commercial space flight is as important as the development of the flight hardware, and I think a lot of people outside of the NewSpace industry don't realise just how important Mr. Milburn's work over this past decade is and has been to Armadillo Aerospace, and to the whole industry really.

So, if I may, on behalf of all us onlookers: Thanks Neil!

_________________Say, can you feel the thunder in the air? Just like the moment ’fore it hits – then it’s everywhereWhat is this spell we’re under, do you care? The might to rise above it is now within your sphereMachinae Supremacy – Sid Icarus

There's got to be some way to free space from FAA regulation. It's reached a point where it is holding back the whole industry. A private spacecraft, launched from private land, should be able to go into space without having to go through piles of red tape. If they injure or hurt somebody on the way, they should be punished, but that is their responsibility, not the FAA's.

_________________“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” -Anonymous

There's got to be some way to free space from FAA regulation. It's reached a point where it is holding back the whole industry. A private spacecraft, launched from private land, should be able to go into space without having to go through piles of red tape. If they injure or hurt somebody on the way, they should be punished, but that is their responsibility, not the FAA's.

Exploring space is dangerous, and not just to the explorer. If you're able to put a ship in orbit, it means you are able to crash it more or less anywhere on Earth - potentially killing thousands or more, or causing billions in damage - probably much more than you (a person or a low-to-mid size organization) are able to pay for.

You can't just rely on people being reasonable - unsafe space exploration has to be prevented.

There has to be some balance between safety and bureaucracy, and the current state of being able to receive permit after proving you are quite safe is within reason, imho.

I used to be in Range Control at Vandenberg Airforce Base in California and the Goverment could only ask boats that were in international waters to leave the designated area, but could not force them. It didn't matter if they were U.S. citizens or not. We would scrub a launch that would cost millions to delay it if there was a boat that didn't move out of the way. All in the name of saftey. Would you really want a rocket crashing through your roof and killing your whole family? What would be the punishment? A slap on the hand? Like it or not, we need these rules. That doesn't mean it can't be handled or treamlined better.